BOSTON -- Gun control is a very personal subject for Rep. Jim Arciero, D-Westford, whose cousin was among the 32 killed by an emotionally disturbed former student in the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech.

For that reason, he agrees with the recommendation of a state task force on gun safety that would enroll Massachusetts in the National Instant Background Check System, a federal database that screens potential gun buyers for mental-health or criminal histories.

"When that tragedy happened, there was a lack of mental-health screenings, and many states have adopted better mental-health support since," said Arciero.

"Although we presently have some of the strictest firearms ownership laws, we need to do more to stop the violence on the streets."
State Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell

Joining the national system was one of 44 recommendations issued last week by a special task force, appointed by House Speaker Robert DeLeo last year in the wake of the school shootings in Newtown, Conn.

The eight-person task force, which included a Northeastern University criminologist, the Natick police chief, a former state mental-health commissioner and the superintendent of Revere schools, recommended a wide range of suggestions, from eliminating the Class B license, which allows people to carry non-concealed, non-high-capacity weapons, to requiring live-fire training for those seeking licenses.

"The committee recognizes that changes such as those proposed in this report may be challenging, but if adopted, provides a pathway to further reduce gun violence in the commonwealth," the task force wrote in its conclusion.

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The task force also found that people with mental-health disorders are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.

The report said that people with a higher risk for violence include those convicted of a violent misdemeanor, people with a domestic-violence restraining order, people convicted of two or more drunken-driving offenses within five years, and those convicted of two or more controlled-substance misdemeanors in five years.

DeLeo said the recommendations would help lawmakers draw up a bill that could pass before July, when the House and Senate finish major business.

Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, D-Leominster, said she was is happy with the recommendations, but is concerned with the recommendation to allow chiefs of police to decide who is suitable to own a gun, and suggested a broader inclusion.

"These findings are certainly going to start a deep discussion on Beacon Hill . . . and we have a lot of work to do," Flanagan said.

Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, said the task force did a good job and used common sense in making recommendations.

In particular, Eldridge said adjusting the length of the gun-renewal process has pleased his gun-owning and hunting constituents because it simplifies a now-lengthy process.

Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell, said he was pleased overall with the report, but was disappointed with the lack of safe-storage recommendations.

"Although we presently have some of the strictest firearms ownership laws, we need to do more to stop the violence on the streets," said Murphy, who has drafted legislation in the past to require gun owners to keep their weapons secure and have a home alarm system.

Part of the problem, Murphy said, is that firearms are often stolen from legal owners around Lowell. He cited a 2010 incident in which dozens of guns were stolen from a house on Dublin Street. Those guns, he said, ended up in the hands of local gang members.

Murphy said he would push to add safe storage legislation to the gun-control bill before it comes to the House for a vote.

Lowell Police Superintendent William Taylor said he supports increased gun control, including the measure to give local departments more responsibility in determining who should and should not receive a license.

"The decision for who is suitable (for a gun license) is best left to the local police ... to determine what's best for the person and what's best for the individual community," Taylor said.

Advocates for more or less gun control had opposing reactions to the report.

Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners Action League, said he was disappointed with the findings and objected to the idea of allowing police chiefs to decide who is suitable or unsuitable to own a gun.

"The system is widely abused ... and it's unclear if this will make it better or worse," Wallace said.

Gun-control groups supported the report, but criticized its lack of several large reforms they had long sought.

John Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence, said his organization would continue to push for limiting the number of guns that can be sold and banning assault weapons.

Overall, Rosenthal said the recommendations are "thoughtful and practical and if enacted will definitely save lives without undue inconvenience to law-abiding gun owners, like myself."

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